West Ham icon Ludek Miklosko has revealed that he has been battling cancer for the past few years but has now abandoned treatment.
The Czech star, 63, played for the Hammers between 1990 and 1998, making 218 appearances, and also played for QPR in England.
In total, he made almost 400 appearances in his career before retiring in 2001, returning to West Ham as goalkeeping coach when he hung up his gloves, a position he left in 2010.
He has since returned to the Czech Republic and worked for a sports investment agency and currently works as sports director at Banik Ostrava, although he has now revealed the heartbreaking news.
'Ludo', as he was nicknamed by West Ham fans, attended his former team's match against Liverpool on Sunday at the London Stadium and has revealed that he has been battling cancer for three years.
He has also revealed that he has withdrawn from treatment to enjoy the highest quality of life for as long as possible, according to the West Ham website.
Ludek Miklosko, 63, has revealed that he has been fighting cancer for three years.
He also detailed how he has stopped treatment to 'live a normal life for as long as he can'
“At the moment I feel good,” he said. “Many friends have told me that if they didn't know what I was going through, they would think I was fine, which is good for me, because I want to feel that way for as long as possible.
“I'm still working, I can be with the players and the people, and my life at the moment is very busy. I try to keep it that way: I want to be busy and active, and be around football as much as I can, because that's what I love “.
She went on to reveal that her diagnosis came when she found a lump on her hip, and checkups after surgery focused on the hip, but the cancer had spread to other areas of her body.
'That was the problem, because it turned out that there was another tumor in the stomach, which was growing. Last year I started feeling some pain and some problems while I was on vacation and had to be rushed to the hospital from the airport as soon as I landed in the Czech Republic.
“The next day they did some tests on me and discovered that I had a large tumor in my stomach, too big to operate on and in an area that was too dangerous,” he added. “I had some radiotherapy, which helped make it a little smaller, and we talked to specialists around the world about what other options there might be.”
'I had an exploratory operation to see if there was any chance of removing the tumour, but it was impossible and I would not have survived the surgery. After that, it was just a matter of trying to control it and see if it grew or if other areas were affected.”
Doctors found more tumors and the only treatment option was chemotherapy.
It was then that he decided not to undergo any further treatment and explained why while addressing West Ham fans.
The former goalkeeper will take to the pitch to greet fans ahead of Sunday's match between West Ham and Liverpool.
“I was thinking about this and I had another conversation with the doctor in Ostrava and it became clear to me that there were no guarantees that it would work,” he said. 'Maybe it would help slow it down a little bit, but it wouldn't stop it and there would be other issues to address.
'I decided not to take chemotherapy because I want to live a normal life. I have very good people around me, and I have my job and my football, which is my life, everything I have ever known. “I want to keep doing this as long as I can.”
He went on to thank the Hammers fans for their support since he played for the club and will be introduced on the pitch ahead of the clash with Liverpool.
West Ham said: “The entire West Ham United family is with Ludek at this time and we encourage everyone attending today's match to be in their seats ten minutes before kick-off to give him the reception and love he so richly deserves.” .